


Off-Hours

by poolsidescientist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Ice Cream, Shopping Malls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 02:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11221233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poolsidescientist/pseuds/poolsidescientist
Summary: Even at the mall Skinner is still thinking about his subordinates.





	Off-Hours

**Author's Note:**

> My computer had problems and eventually died so I've spent a lot of time at the mall. I am not a fan but the idea for this fic popped into my head. Constructive criticism is always welcome and as you know, I don't own any part of this franchise.

It was fair to say that special agent Dana Scully got her stubbornness from her mother. Maggie Scully was a lovely woman, but Walter Skinner had quickly learned that once she made up her mind about someone or something, it was nearly impossible to convince her otherwise. At the moment, Maggie was helping Maria, a young lady from her church plan her wedding. She insisted on taking Skinner as her plus one. Despite having split up with his wife over a year ago, Skinner wasn't sure how comfortable he felt flaunting a new relationship. Especially one with the mother of one of his subordinates. He genuinely cared for Maggie and didn't want her to suffer as a result of this. But she had insisted they go together. Even if agent Scully decided to come to the wedding. Despite her still not knowing about about her mother's and boss's romantic life.

Today they were out shopping for a wedding gift. The luggage set they had ordered from the gift registry was out of stock so they had to go to the mall to look for an alternative. Fortunately they had found a nice set rather quickly and had some time to go for ice cream. The food court was a zoo of restless teenagers and gossipy old ladies. The air was stale, but still clearer than the air of his office, so often polluted by the cigarette smoking man who lurked in the shadows. It was nice to be away from work for once.

“Walter, you look stressed,” Maggie noted, licking her ice cream cone. Strawberry was her favourite flavour.

“It’s just work,” he answered, biting off a chunk of peanut butter from his chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

“Is it?” Maggie raised an eyebrow. Expressive eyebrows were another thing she had in common with her daughter.

“Mulder broke into another high security government facility and I have a lot of paperwork to fill our because of it,” Skinner sighed, “that kid needs a leash.”

“Fox is a good kid, does what he thinks is right, not unlike Dana. She has complete faith in him,” Maggie smiled gently, biting into a rather large strawberry in her ice cream cone. Despite his hatred of shopping, this mall was Skinner’s shopping center of choice mainly due to the unusually good food court. That and the fact that it was the ice cream stand where he met Maggie in the first place. Clearly the woman has good taste.

“Sounds like you know him well Maggie.”

He’s been over for dinner a few times, always hungry. I always send him home with a container full of leftovers. Poor boy has called me mom more than once!”

“I’m not surprised, I’ve gotten a few payphone calls from agent Mulder when he was drunk and called me dad.” As much as Skinner complained about the paranormal-obsessed protocol disregarding hot mess that was agent Mulder, he sincerely cared about the man. And had the utmost respect for agent Scully for being able to tolerate him on a daily basis. Still, the way those two looked at each other... most married couples never reached that level of intimacy. “I know this may be a bit unprofessional of me to ask but are Mulder and Scully, how do I say this,...official?” 

“If only,” Maggie sighed as she wiped ice cream off the side of her mouth with a napkin.

“It’s getting frustrating, watching them gaze at each other day in and day out.” Skinner confessed, taking a bite of his ice cream cone.

“They’re so close, and yet, they’re both so stubborn and independent. Dana has always been secretive and Fox doesn’t seem to be much better. I wonder what they do when they’re not working?” Maggie finished up her cone and the two of them got up to throw out their used napkins. It had been a long time since Skinner had held hands with, well, anyone. It was strange at first, but there was something comforting about Maggie that broke down even his walls. 

“I’ve been wondering that for years,” the two of them walked out of the food court back past the ice cream stand and candy store on the way to the stairs. Skinner couldn’t help but notice the couple kissing besides the escalator. It was not tasteful kissing either, the two of them clearly needed to get a room. There was a considerable height difference between the couple, the man was far taller than the red-haired woman. It wasn’t until they turned around that it clicked in his and Maggie’s head who they were. Never again did Skinner wonder what his subordinates did outside of work.


End file.
